Spring has sprung and many of us just can’t wait to get out into the garden to start planting. If, however, you are one of those who is hopelessly lacking in the green thumb department, but who would like a little more curb appeal, there’s hope. Read on for some easy landscaping tips that will brighten the yard with little on-going effort.

Plant Just One Tree: If your yard is lacking trees or tall shrubs then it’s likely lacking variance in height. You want a variety of tall, medium and short plantings to create a balanced picture. Planting just one tree is low on effort and maintenance, but can be huge on impact. Japanese Maples do well in our area and can be a great choice for adding height as well as color and texture to the landscape.

Utilize Massing and Shape: Annuals can be an easy way to add color to a landscape, but the biggest landscaping mistake I see is a lot of small annuals scattered all over place. This creates tiny little color dots that the eye can barely detect and that does nothing for the overall picture. Instead, mass annuals and group other smaller plants into appealing shapes that the eye can actually see from the street. And if you are using containers, choose medium and large ones and group plants together to make them stand out.

Edging, Mulching & Trimming: In nature there is random growth and this randomness is actually subliminally a big part of the excitement of being in nature. In a garden setting, however, it is more ideal to strike a balance between the excitement of random growth and the calm that comes from bringing some order to that growth. Ways to create a sense of order and calm in the garden include edging, mulching and trimming. Edging can take the form of bricks, stones, ground covers, split logs, copper piping—you name it! Mulching plant beds adds color and texture and helps create those overall shapes we talked about earlier. And when trimming bushes, think clean lines to further emphasis a sense of calm and order.

Keep It Low Maintenance: Finally, the single tip that will make life easier for the non-gardener is to choose low-maintenance and native plants from the get-go. Certain plants are just easier to deal with; they don’t require dead-heading or trimming and also don’t require constant watering like some plants do. Be sure to take the time to talk to your local nursery expert before purchasing to make sure the plants you are buying are going to make you happy in the long run.